Modern high performance fighter aircraft are capable of sophisticated flight manuevers, including tight turning and rapid acceleration/deceleration. These capabilities enable the aircraft to evade enemy missiles and rockets, and manuever for better advantage in close-in air-to-air combat. However, this improved aircraft manueverability and agility is counterproductive if the resulting forces imposed on the pilot are beyond human tolerances or degrade his capability to control the aircraft during these maneuvers. Conventional wisdom for dealing with the increased forces on the pilot has been to recline his seat to a laidback configuration (40.degree.-70.degree. seat back angle). Recent studies conducted by Rockwell International Corporation, the present assignee, have demonstrated, however, that equivalent increases in g-tolerance can be achieved with pilots leaning forward at angles only a fraction of those required for layback tolerance. For example, co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 175,660, entitled "High G Protection System", assigned to Rockwell International Corp., discloses a seat restraint system for supporting the occupant in a leaned forward or crouched position. This results in a reduced hydrostatic column between the aorta and retina of the eye of the occupant. Reduction in the hydrostatic column relates directly to an increase in g-tolerance. The ability to withstand increased g forces (both high g and rapid onset rates) directly avoids G-induced Loss of Conciousness (GLOC).
Forward leaning enables the pilot to withstand increased g-forces, but at the expense of controller accessibility in conventionally configured fighter aircraft. Side-mounted or large displacement flight control stick and throttles are extremely awkward to use while in a forward lean position and/or during extreme aircraft dynamic manuevering loads. Current aircraft flight management philosophy is Hands-On-Throttle-And-Stick (HOTAS); i.e., continuous contact with the primary flight controls during critical portions of a mission (combat manuevers, takeoff and landing, etc.). HOTAS is difficult in a conventionally configured aircraft if the pilot is utilizing the forward lean.
In addition, the military services are increasing the size ranges for anthropometric accommodation in fighter aircraft from 5th and 95th percentiles to 1st to 99th percentiles, with the aim of increasing the available pool of prospective pilots (both male and female). Current control configurations cannot accommodate the extended size ranges of body dimensions (seated eye height, arm and leg reach) without complex seat adjustment.
Typically a pilot adjusts his seat for external vision over the nose of the aircraft and over the side of the aircraft. However, once the seat is adjusted for such an "over-the-nose" view, the crew member is unable to adjust his hand controls for that particular seat adjustment.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,170,711 issued to G. R. Dunifon, entitled "Movable Steering Column" discloses a movable steering column that may be displaced from a normal operative position to a displaced position for the purpose of easy access to and egress from the driver's seat of a motor vehicle. In addition, the invention provides an adjustable steering column that may be adjusted into an infinite number of operative and driving positions, preferably along a plane having a substantial vertical component. This latter feature permits the steering column to be adjusted for optimum steering ease and visibility for each individual vehicle operator.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,693,997, issued to H. Dreyer, entitled "Adjustable Steering Column For Motor Vehicles," discloses another adjustable steering column for a motor vehicle in which the position within the vehicle of a steering wheel attached to the upper end of the steering column can be readily adjusted by adjusting the overall length and the inclination of the adjustable steering column.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,209,074, issued to L. E. York, entitled "Adjustable Control Console," discloses an adjustable control console for a vehicle, including a base for attachment to a vehicle, a member, rigid mounting links pivotly interconnecting the base and the member in a manner like that of a parallelogram linkage to allow fore and aft movement of the member, at least one control element movably mounted on the member, and a rigid control link connected to the control element and extending there from toward the base, the links being selectively, simultaneously extensible to allow adjustment of the space in between the member and the base.
While the Dunifon, Dreyer and York patents provide for a range of driver sizes, they all address ground based vehicles exclusively, and with only the primary steering task accomplished by the device.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,667,901, issued to G. F. Herndon, entitled "Apparatus For Adjustably Mounting An Ejection Seat In An Aircraft," discloses an adjustable seat mounting to allow greater anthropometric accommodation in ejection seat equipped aircraft. However, only conventional upright posture and side mounted controllers are accommodated by that system, not the g-force tolerant forward lean. Additionally, the method disclosed by Herndon requires complex seat adjustment mechanisms which have the potential for failure during critical periods, such as ejection, which might prevent pilot escape.